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Data from sudden infant death syndrome cases in San Diego County before and after the 1994 initiation of the "Back to Sleep" campaign showed that the rate of SIDS-related deaths for every 1,000 births fell from about 1.34 in 1991 to 0.64 in 2008. In the journal Pediatrics, researchers said that 38% of the babies who died were sharing a bed while 45% were sleeping in an adult bed.

Related Summaries

Approximately 3,500 infants die annually in the United States from sleep-related infant deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), ill-defined deaths, and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. Many of the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths are strikingly similar. For 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics has updated recommendations for a safe sleep environment to reduce the risk of all sleep-related infant deaths. Read the full article in Pediatrics.

The Safe to Sleep campaign, formerly the Back to Sleep initiative introduced in 1994, has been expanded and revised to cover all sleep-related sudden unexpected infant deaths, including SIDS, the NIH announced on Wednesday. The revised recommendations aim to promote safe sleeping environments for babies.

Data from sudden infant death syndrome cases in San Diego County before and after the 1994 initiation of the "Back to Sleep" campaign showed that the rate of SIDS-related deaths for every 1,000 births fell from about 1.34 in 1991 to 0.64 in 2008. In the journal Pediatrics, researchers said that 38% of the babies who died were sharing a bed while 45% were sleeping in an adult bed.

An increasing number of experts suspect that a rising number of cases of torticollis -- a condition in which babies prefer turning their heads in one direction -- may be due in part to the "back to sleep" campaign among infants. An expert said that the condition could be prevented if parents allow their babies to have sufficient tummy time as early as 2 weeks old and rotate babies from side-to-side when they sleep.

Having babies sleep away from home or even outside of their parent's bedroom are two novel risk factors for SIDS, according to German researchers. The results of the German Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Study also showed duvets, bed sharing and sleeping face down contributed to an increased risk for SIDS.